CHAPTER FIVE
2.2 DAVID KOLB’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING THEORY (1984) David Kolb’s experiential learning theory, built upon the foundational work of
Dewey (1916; 1933), provides a conceptual framework for CBSL educators. The experiential learning theory emphasizes the notion that true experiences play an important role in the learning process (Bringle & Hatcher, 1996). Experiential learning is defined as a sort of learning which enables students to apply newly acquired knowledge in a relevant setting. Houle (1980) defines experiential learning as “education that occurs as a direct participation in the event of life” (p. 221).
This researcher maintains that learning is not achieved in a formal setting, but in the practice of reflecting on daily experiences. Kolb (1984) furthers the definition of experiential learning by developing a model which details learning through
experience. Kolb’s experiential learning model is a continuous spiral process which
consists of four basic elements. This model suggests that when one learns from experience, one goes through a four-step cycle which: (a) starts with a concrete experience, (b) is followed by reflective observations, (c) processing of information through abstraction and conceptualisation and (d) initiation of active
experimentation. Kolb (1984) notes that learning can begin at any point in the cycle, and add that reflection is essential to this learning process because it can link the concrete to the abstract (Bringle & Hatcher, 1996; 2000). According to Bringle and Hatcher (2000), the key is to discipline community service-students to base their reflection on concrete experiences, given that many individuals in academic environments have a tendency to leap prematurely into theoretical or conceptual discussions. They believe that by grounding students and connecting them to real experiences will make reflection exercises worthwhile.
According to Bringle and Hatcher (2000), vagueness about reflection in CBSL exists because the term reflection describes both a cognitive process and a structured learning activity (Dewey, 1933; Schön, 1982; Kolb, 1984) as cited in Bringle and Hatcher (1996). The main emphasis of Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning theory is the importance of learning experiences whereby the process of education and curriculum activities are more meaningful to the students themselves.
According to Betts (1985), student driven learning is more likely to be effective and meaningful when based upon experiences from which they gain a sense of self worth and achievement. For some students, this mechanism for learning will require them to move outside of their ‘comfort zone’ and be prepared to take risks (Betts, 1985).
2.2.1 Conceptual Representation of Experiential Learning
Kelly (1997) states that experiential learning is not just ‘fieldwork’ or ‘praxis’, but that it is the basis for these approaches and is a theory that defines the cognitive processes of learning. Jarvis (1995) asserts that experiential learning is actually about learning from primary experience, that is, learning through the senses.
Experiential learning, therefore, may be defined as knowledge, skills and/or abilities attained through observation, simulation, and/or participation that provide depth and meaning to learning by engaging the mind and/or body through activity, reflection and application. Kolb (1984) defines experiential learning as the process whereby knowledge is constructed by the transformation of experience.
Knowledge results from the combination of grasping and transforming ones’
experience(s). Based on a four staged ‘experiential learning cycle’, the model depicts learning as occurring in four consecutive stages in which students encounter the world through a concrete experience (CE); reflect on and make observations about those experiences (RO); develop abstract conceptualisation from those reflections (AC); and conduct active experimentation on those conceptualizations through evaluating, testing and applying their generalisations (AE) (Kolb, 1984;
Cavanagh, Hogan & Ramgopal, 1995; Willcoxson & Prosser, 1996; Fox &
Ronkowski, 1997; Raschick, Maypole & Day, 1998; Felder & Brent, 2005). Kolb’s model focuses on how students most readily perceive the information to be learned and how they prefer to process that information.
According to the four-staged learning cycle, concrete learning experiences are the basis for observations and reflections. These reflections are assimilated and distilled
into abstract concepts from which new implications for action can be drawn. These propositions can be actively tested and they serve as guides in creating new learning experiences and new knowledge (Kolb, Boyatzis & Mainemelis, 1999). In the concrete experience (CE) stage, an individual carries out a particular action and then observes its effect. Experiencing or immersing oneself in the ‘doing’ of a task is the stage in which the student simply carries out the task assigned. According to Kolb et al. (1999), the engaged person is usually not reflecting on the task at this time, but rather just carrying it out with intention. The next phase is reflective observation (RO), which involves stepping back from task involvement and reviewing what has been done and experienced; the skills of attending, noticing differences and
applying terms help to identify subtle events. One's paradigm (values, attitudes, and beliefs) influences whether one can differentiate between certain events.
Understanding the effects of an action in a particular instance is required in order to anticipate what would follow from the action if it were to be taken again under the same circumstances (Kolb et al., 1999). After reflective observation, the student moves into a phase of abstract conceptualization (AC). According to Kolb et al.
(1999), this involves interpreting the events that have been noticed and
understanding the relationships among them. It is at this stage that theory may be particularly helpful as a template for framing and explaining events. The student’s paradigm once again influences the interpretive range a person is willing to entertain (Kolb et al., 1999). Understanding the general principle under which a particular instance falls does not imply the ability to express the principle in a symbolic medium. This is the stage where students build structures of explanations for themselves about the way the world works. Students develop theories or rules to
define their expectations and the cause-effect chain. The last stage of Kolb’s experiential learning cycle is active experimentation (AE). During this stage, new knowledge is applied through action in new circumstances, within the range of generalisation. Here, planning takes the new understanding and translates it into predictions about what is likely to happen next, or what actions should be taken to refine the way in which the task will be handled (Kolb et al., 1999).
Kolb’s four-staged learning cycle is ideal for learning and, in an ideal situation, these dimensions would constitute a cycle through which the student progresses. In reality, however, students begin at different points of the cycle and may or may not progress in a systematic manner (Kolb et al., 1999). The four learning styles or modes of Kolb are also paired into two continua: concrete experience versus abstract conceptualisation and reflective observation versus active experimentation.
The latter pair primarily reflects the differences between inductive and deductive learning. For a complete learning experience to take place, Kolb believes that students must complete all four of the learning stages. Although everyone utilises each of the four learning styles to some extent, each individual has a unique preferred learning style, resulting from a tendency to learn either from concrete experience, or through the construction of theoretical frameworks such as active experimentation combined with the tendency to learn either through abstract conceptualisation or through reflection observation (Fox & Ronkowski, 1997;
Willcoxson & Prosser, 1998; Raschick et al., 1998).
2.3 DEWEY’S EDUCATION THEORY: EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION